Wärtsilä nets tech supply order for US LNG bunker barge

The Finnish technology group Wärtsilä has been contracted to supply its LNG cargo handling system for a new 5400-cbm LNG bunker barge being built in the USA.

The barge is being built at the Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding yard in Wisconsin on behalf of NorthStar Midstream, Wärtsilä said in its statement.

It will be operated by the company’s marine transportation company Polaris New Energy (PNE).

“This project represents one more strategically important step in the development of a viable LNG supply infrastructure for marine applications,” Mark Keneford, Wärtsilä’s GM Marine Sales for USA and Canada said.

The bunker barge will be part of an Articulated Tug Barge (ATB) that will deliver fuel to both ocean and inland water operated LNG-fuelled vessels. It will initially be assigned to Florida’s eastern coast. There is an option for two additional bunker barges.

The Wärtsilä scope includes the system design and integration, four LNG storage tanks, LNG pumps, a ship-to-ship transfer system, all necessary safety and control equipment, the valves and instrumentation, and the gas combustion unit.

Deliveries to the yard are scheduled to commence in October 2020, and the barge is expected to be delivered to the customer in mid-2021.